A/N: Well, here's chapter two! Yeah it took me a while, but classes are killing me. Deal with it.
My thanks go to Phr33k, alchemist19, Valorous Wings, Ookami88, TheBlackBlade, Chewie Cookies, wingofpain, LordofVermillion, Honest Lunar Raven, BlazaWolf, Arhra, panda-kun77, Thoketan-XER298-RedRover, Naruto a Champion Nice (an anon in case you were thinking the name was odd), Rodneysao, DelVaro, RamenKnight, NoGutsNoGlory, Peshomaro, Maelstrom of the Tricky Wind, Khazad, Posidem, Ryden Purrson, green eyed typhoon, and Ttran2323 for their taking time to review my humble story :3
Oh and Panda-kun, I'm still expecting a picture at some point ;) Maybe in a few chapters. Still not a lot of content I know.
On that note, if anyone else wants to try to draw a cover picture or two for this story, I'd greatly appreciate it!
NOTE: to read my long winded rage about how FF is going down the tubes, please refer to the preface of Chapter 15 for Konoha's Silver Shinobi. There's a lot to be said, and my major announcements are there, since it is my main story after all.
Other World, Chapter Two:
Narrow Encounter
Rastor Runemancer eyed the men and women before him carefully. It wasn't that the meeting was all that serious, though it kind of was too. He'd had this kind of discussion many times. The smooth alabaster table was large enough to seat at least two dozen people around its perimeter, though at the moment, it was only home to half that many. There were few times he felt the weight of his position as vividly as he did now, but whenever he did, it would almost never be an easy week. Around him sat the Council, the ultimate decision-making assemblage in the Institute of War. Thirteen total, including himself, they were the deciding factor for all things regarding Champions, Summoners, and the mediating policies of Valoran itself.
In all his time as acting Head Councilman, he'd always felt sort of sorry for the small nation of Ionia; a lesser country of no remarkable military presence or power. Compared to Demacia and Noxus, its capabilities were utterly dwarfed. However, he'd been pleased when the tiny state managed to gain powerful Champions to fight for it in the games. However, it seemed the petty nation had figuratively dug up a gold mine of potential in the form of Irelia, Master Yi, Lee Sin, Akali, Shen, Kennen, Wukong, Ahri, and even Varus. It seemed there was no end to the powerful people who were so willing to stand under Ionia's banner.
And here he was speaking with the crimson armored captain of the Ionian Guard. She stood at the foot of the table, with him at the head, and the numerous other dozen individuals of the Council splayed out on either side. Behind her and to her side was the viridian clad Akali, her kama noticeably absent in their presence. Both looked at him expectantly, having finished with their proposition not seconds ago.
He fingered his forehead tenderly, knowing he was going to have a headache soon if he didn't deal with this apparently growing problem. But the issue of illegal summoning would have to be hashed out afterword. He carefully folded his hands and leaned his elbows on the table.
"Just so I know I'm understanding you correctly, you've found two new individuals who are reportedly from the same realm as Sasori…" he inclined his head for confirmation, which she obliged.
"Correct."
"…and that they wish to join the League on behalf of Ionia?"
"Yes."
He nodded his head with every affirmation; he'd heard her right the first time. "I see. Then they must go through the trials, just as all the others have. Are they prepared for such an encounter?"
Irelia's gaze averted for only a moment before refocusing. "Forgive me… I failed to mention that to them."
Rastor nodded his head understandingly. "Are they here right now?"
The woman nodded. "They're just outside this room as we speak. Would you like to meet them?"
The powerful Summoner breathed uncharacteristically deep, and silently deliberated the idea, his folded hands' index fingers tapping the tip of his lips. Eventually he lowered them and shook his head. "No, no I think it best that we save that for the judgment. Knowing what we do from Sasori, I don't think a preliminary meeting is necessary."
The other council members nodded their heads in agreement.
"That said, if they're ready for their judgments, we can begin preparation immediately."
Irelia hesitated for a moment. "Now? But neither is aware of-…"
She was cut off from the raised hand of the violet robbed man beside Rastor. He, like Rastor, was universally known as Trazzix Lusterslew, one of the three founding mages of the Institute of War and the League of Legends, the third member of that group being Damien Perishmore who sat opposite of Trazzix.
"-We are well aware that they are unaware. However, you may inform them yourself while we prepare for the judgment. Agreed?"
Irelia nodded shakily. She clearly hadn't expected them to go to judgment so quickly. "Very well then… if you'll excuse us." She turned and left the chamber, the shadow warrior following right after.
As soon as the door had shut behind them, the council stood, and with a wave of a hand, the table and chairs split and folded away, leaving the chamber open for the judgment. The council shuffled to the outer edges of the room, where they would watch and maintain the notorious illusions that would be the judgment's setting. Rastor nodded to them and prepared the magic. As soon as the door opened, the field would be set.
It was only a short minute before both heavy doors opened; the first of their victims.
Sasuke strode in quietly, eyeing the darkened room warily. He ignored the latching of the two doors behind him as he continued to the center of the room. He could see no one anywhere, and he assumed it was part of the illusion. He'd only been briefly informed of what he would face inside by the Ionian captain before he entered. He had a feeling he already knew what he would face inside.
A flash of movement to his side drew his gaze. What he saw made him double-take. It was a young child that he vaguely remembered seeing at some point in the academy. The boy skipped along the bustling road of Konoha toward the institution, the lively populated streets offering only a slight hindrance. He followed after him, smiling at the image of the academy that eventually came into view. Upon entering, he shadowed him to his designated classroom. He wasn't surprised that it was Iruka speaking at the head of the class.
He smirked and sat down in the vacant seat he'd always occupied for the class. Immediately he felt bored, and he almost laughed at the nostalgia that hit him. He quietly folded his hands below his chin and closed his eyes, letting the instructor's voice dim to a low drone in his ears. It was eerily relaxing.
"…Sasuke! You're the smart one; what's the best jutsu to use when distracting opponents?"
Sasuke blinked as he was called out, but smirked and grunted the simple answer. "Bunshin."
Iruka smiled and nodded. "Correct! That's exact-… NARUTO! PAY ATTENTION!"
Sasuke winced as he heard the scarred man yell at the obnoxious blonde boy in the back. In a way, he felt almost sorry for him. The boy made a retort, but he'd already tuned them all out. He'd already studied this lesson the night before with his mother. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, drifting ever nearer to the land of light slumber.
He was woken by the chill air of night. His eyes shot open, standing in front of the empty street illuminated by nothing by the bright, full moon above. It wasn't uncommon to see the street empty, but there was just something about it that screamed "wrong" to him. His eyes flitted left and right, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, so he passed it off as a particularly chilling breeze on a cool summer night. He continued on, feeling himself grow excited as he neared his house, knowing he'd be able to show the new shuriken technique to his family. He imagined his father and brother's proud smile while his mother's face would light up with glee at her son's success.
The though filled him with such warm thoughts, he almost missed the still, shadowed form of…something on the street. He eyed it curiously before approaching. As soon as he was able to see it clearly, he froze. At first he'd thought it some large animal, like a dog or something, but now he saw its form was that of a human. His eyes went wide as he then saw the crimson stain of blood pooling beneath it.
He immediately backed away in fear, and then turned his gaze fearfully to the street around him. But where he'd been looking for a threat, what he found was only more dead bodies, piled on top of each other and sprawled about everywhere, their corpses left to lie unceremoniously where they'd breathed their last. He felt an eerie sense of déjà vu. He knew this scene very well.
With growing fear, he closed his eyes and shook his head violently, running down the street to where his home was. He didn't look at the bodies of the dead as he passed them. If he got home, mother and father would know what to do!
He barged through the door, rushing down the hallway to his parents room. He dashed to the door and slid it open. "Tou-san! Kaa-san!" What he saw froze him in his place.
Three figures occupied the room, one standing, the other two lifelessly sprawled across the floor. He recognized them all instantly, along with the fresh blood that flowed across the floor. "N-nii-san…! Tou-san and kaa-san are-!"
The sharp whistle of wind and sting of pain silenced him as a single shuriken grazed his arm. His eyes gazed in growing horror at his elder brother, his eyes now spotting the splashes of blood that adorned his ensemble.
"You're such a foolish, foolish little brother." The man spoke in a calm, condescending tone. His face was shadowed by the angle of the window that only allowed the moon to highlight the two corpses of their mother and father, dead on the floor
"Nii-san… why…?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. Why all of this death? Why them? Why?
"To measure my own capacity," he explained with such simplicity that for an instant, Sasuke wondered if the man had any emotion at all.
His eyes fell on the unmoving bodies of his parents. "T-this…? Just to measure your 'capacity…?'" An anger clenched his stomach tightly.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand."
His teeth ground against each other so hard they cracked. "That… that kind of excuse…" He felt his body burn in anger, and he surged forward. "….THAT'S BULLSHIT!"
The silhouette of his brother lunged forward to meet him, a fist brought low to smash him in the gut. But the shadowed man blinked in surprise as Sasuke dodged to the side and plunged his sword through his chest. His brother's eyes were wide with surprise, and Sasuke just smirked.
"Please… As if you could truly capture me with this illusion. I'll admit everything else seemed very real, but as soon as you tried to replicate my brother, I was reminded that this was all fake." His eyes narrowed at the figure in front of him, the only visible part of him being his surprised Sharingan eyes.
He twisted the sword with spite. "I won't pretend to like my brother, but such a shoddy attempt to imitate him… it's disgusting. The real him wouldn't have let me get up."
The image of his brother blinked and stepped forward into the moonlight. His face and image was the same, but the voice that came from his lips was foreign, and the slight smiling expression he wore felt completely out of place. "I can't pretend to berate you for your animosity, after seeing this for myself. He killed your entire family in cold blood after all." He looked at the room around him as if examining an exhibit for the first time.
Sasuke scowled. "This isn't you're playground. I'd advise you to remember your place in my memories; nonexistent."
The being impersonating his oh-so-loathed brother frowned. "Why do you want to join the league, Sasuke?"
The Uchiha scowled for a moment before melting into a dark smile. "Why else? To measure my own capacity."
His brother's face raised an eyebrow but remained silent, except to ask, "How does it feel, exposing your mind?"
Sasuke withdrew his sword and sheathed it, mindless of the illusionary blood that stained it. "How does it feel to be the one doing the exposing?"
The man wearing his brother's skin hesitated for a moment before answering cautiously. "In this case… Different."
Sasuke smirked silently as the recreation of his old home vanished like a smoky mist. All that was left was a darkened room. The massive doors in front of him opened with a clang, and light poured in from beyond. Without another word, Sasuke entered the League.
"Sooo…" Naruto began anxiously. "How long do these things usually last?"
Both women shrugged. "It varies per person. The judgment is merely to expose those thoughts that motive you, or might influence your decisions to most."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, so they read your mind?"
Irelia thought about it for a moment before half-nodding. "Something like that."
Naruto immediately looked worried. "Oh boy…"
Akali smiled beneath her mask. "Don't worry, any information they see they are duty-bound to keep secret, unless you voluntarily reveal it."
The blonde nervously scratched the back of his head with a smile. "Ah, well, that's good to know, but that's not what I was worried about…" he said, causing both females to look at him expectantly.
"Looking into my mind…" he began tensely. "…Let's just say it's not a good idea."
"Whys that? If you don't mind my asking that is…" said Akali.
Naruto looked at her and cocked his head. "Oh, right, you don't know…" He was about to explain when the doors in front of him opened up revealing a dark, empty room. Hesitantly glancing behind him, the women nodded reassuringly, and he stepped forward into the center of the room, ignoring the slam of the gates closing behind him.
Several minutes passed by in the atrium as both Irelia and Akali waited for the judgment to complete. Very few warriors of worthy mention were turned away, even after the judgment, and this was mostly because the Institute encouraged those of all creeds and backgrounds to join, if they felt the desire to that is. So neither woman felt particularly worried about either of the two boys passing the tests. But at the same time, they both knew that League judgments could leave a grown man shaking and scared by the end; the strength of the mind was harshly tested during judgments.
Though it was a common misconception, the Institute and the League were two different things. The Institute was the whole complex of the Institute of War, while the League of Legends was a small, more special area of the massive complex. In layman's terms, the League was like an exclusive club separate to the rest of the organization.
As soon as they were done, they'd join the other two in the League and give them a tour, and perhaps introduce them to any champions who happened to be there. But the matter of waiting was slightly unnerving. Irelia had never been concerned with these kind of proceedings before, but at the same time, she'd never had any sort of personal investment in those who took part. But two otherworldly characters joining under Ionia's flag… it was kind of a big thing.
Presently the doors opened and the dark room they'd seen before was replaced by the empty conference room it usually was. They stood as the various Summoner council members exited, inclining their heads respectfully as they passed the two Champions. Last to leave were the three master Summoners. Though both Trazzix and Damien passed by without comment, Rastor paused to speak to them, even as everyone else left the area.
"Well?" Akali asked perhaps a bit too excitedly.
Rastor's aged face and long flowing white beard shifted with his expression, which was subtly hidden by those same features. "Well, what can be expected from Other Worlders? They are both different, and their culture is so far dissimilar to our own. Not to mention their memories..." He thought back to the horrific massacre of the first boy's family by his own brother, and then to the unbearably lonely and abused past of second boy.
He shook his head. "In the end, they passed, and I'm sure that's all you're concerned with at the moment. Anything else they'll have to tell you themselves." He nodded a "good day" and walked after his fellows.
The Shadow Warrior sent a relieved smile her superior's way and Irelia sighed in response. 'Good, they made it…'
Wasting no more time, they entered the cleared meeting room and opened the door to the League. They entered quickly and gazed upon the massive entry hall in front of them. Furnished with only the highest quality furniture and décor, the warm red rug that covered the entire floor blended with the even warmer golden hues of light that permeated the place. Up ahead a little ways stood the two Shinobi, quietly looking around at the empty hall. With hurried steps they strode over to them, their murmured whisperings to each other ceasing at their Ionians' approach.
"I understand congratulations are in order for both you," Irelia began with a smile. "You're both now officially Champions of the League."
Sasuke made no expression as he shrugged his shoulders indifferently as Naruto, in contrast, smiled and scratched the back of his head, a nervous habit that both women were beginning to notice. The blonde cleared his throat quietly and looked around. "So, speaking of Champions, where are the others? Didn't you say there were like ninety-something others?"
Irelia nodded. "Ninety-five, and they're around. Your entrance to the League was unscheduled and unannounced, so no one knew to come to welcome you. Some of them take breaks every so often and return to their homelands during those periods. The rest live here at the Institute, but no one really loiters in this part of it. They can be found in the common rooms, libraries, training fields, and recreation areas. Every once in a while, you'll see a group of Summoners here and there, but they mainly stay out of your way."
The blonde nodded understandingly and glanced around awkwardly. Sasuke suddenly stiffened and glanced around quickly.
"The girl's gone," he stated quickly, almost as if it were a warning to his partner.
"She's probably just announcing your arrival to the others," Irelia explained quickly, trying to placate them. "And as far as safety goes, any combat between Champions outside of the Fields is strictly prohibited. The last time anyone ever broke that rule was several months ago when Malzahar and Kassadin were at each other's throats, and that's only due to their deep rooted animosity for one another. Normally Champions leave their grudges behind on the battlefield."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Normally?"
Irelia shrugged her shoulders. "Well, things do happen, and the Institute does its best to prevent them."
Sasuke huffed and turned his head a way, but smirked. "Well that's no fun."
Due to the massive size of the League, it wasn't a common occurrence to see more than ten champions in the same spot at any given time. The sole exclusions to that were the Fields and the Courtyard. The Courtyard, or sometimes referred to simply as the "Court," was a simple, but special place where Champions could wander, talk, laze, and relax in. Tough, marble-like ceramic structures, benches and tables marked the low-hedged fields around them, and in the center was a massive stone fountain that could be seen from any part of the Court. Around it sat a dozen tables, with three times that many chairs for each one.
Demacian and Noxian alike would gather here to commune, quarrel, and unwind from all the aforementioned communing and quarreling. Though many Champions avoided the social hub, most were frequent visitors. The bright yellow sun shown down on the viridian plains and shrubbery, and sparkled in the shining water, sending multicolored mists this way and that.
The surroundings echoed with the soothing calm of music, the kind that every champion knew could only come from the etwahl of the resident League musician. Sona always had a place in the center of the Court where she would sit and strum, plucking the deceptively delicate strings of her instrument with her equally deceptively delicate fingers. Regardless of nationality, creed or species, there wasn't a single Champion who was unaffected in some way by her music. For that reason, it was a common thing to see many different types of Champions gather around her when she played.
On one side of the court were numerous building that made up living areas and apartments for Champions, with the windows facing the Court, and out towards the great fields, and expanse of sky. Beneath the balcony of one of these sat the Noxian blade master Talon. The shade of the balcony hid him perfectly, and most wouldn't notice him, since he rarely moved. It was a habit of his; not to move. He'd gained it during his days in the slums of Noxus, it being the natural reaction to fleeing prey or hunting predators. If you are still, then your prey will not see you, and neither will your predators. It was simple as that. Though he was never out of earshot of Sona's beautiful music.
Below him was lux, who's very presence often annoyed him. Despite his preference for shade and darkness, the fact that she found him fun to talk to, along with her natural affinity for light made it very obnoxious when she would intrude into his corner. Fortunately he was safe in crevices and ledges; the light mage didn't have the same agility he had, which was a fact he'd exploited numerous times on the battlefield. Luxanna wasn't alone though; Riven and Ashe were both with her sitting together around a small table, chatting amongst each other about this and that.
Talon just tuned them out.
Sitting on the edge of the fountain, next to Sona was the oft loved, more oft hated yordle explorer Teemo. He sat there, content to listen to the music while rocking side to side to the rhythm.
And lastly, next to the entrance of the great hedge maze stood Ahri, the half-fox, half-human woman along with the two newer additions to the League, Darius and his younger brother Draven. Ahri was known as being probably the most provocatively mannered female at the League and was quite the temptress. However, she was also extremely playful in that same regard, often teasing men with her beauty and then walking away. Which was why it was extremely humorous to see her shrug off Draven's (admittedly rather egotistical) passes at her in favor of trying to get a rise out of the pokerfaced Darius, much to the younger brother's dismay.
It was into this setting that Akali entered, having jogged ahead of her comrades to announce the arrival of the two shinobi. The women immediately noticed her arrival and Lux, ever the giddy one, immediately waved her hands and got up to meet her. "There you are Akali! I've been looking all over for you! I'd heard you were back but I couldn't find you anywhere."
"Sorry to have troubled you, but I was busy with the Council."
Lux cocked her head curiously. "The Council? What for?"
"You know how me and Kennen were called away to investigate a possible summoning in Ionia?" Akali asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, we found out that not just one was summoned, but two. After some discussion, we found out that they're from the same place as Sasori."
Riven blinked in surprise. "Sasori? Are you sure?"
"Fairly. What's more, the Council has agreed to allow them to become Champions. In fact, we just came back from their judgments."
At this, every head turned in at least mild interest to Akali's words. Talon above them shifted forward, now focusing on them intently. Sona continued to strum her etwahl, but it was easy to tell she was keeping her ears open to their conversation. Teemo immediately grabbed his hat and rushed over, squeezing through the females' legs, taking advantage of his size. Ahri and Darius both immediately turned and rushed over to hear, leaving a befuddled Draven in their wake.
"A judgment already? But you just left a few days ago," Ashe commented, not at all understanding the hastiness of the Council. It usually took weeks for any champion to be considered, judged, and accepted. Not to mention the amount of time the League spent advertising their arrival. But then, she supposed these were special circumstances, what with the spate of illegal summonings going on lately.
"And I've never heard of them letting two people in at the same time before!" Teemo said, prompting everyone to look down at him.
Akali just shrugged. In all honesty, she was just as surprised by the Council's acceptance of their request as everyone else. "I guess we must have caught them on a good day."
"So? Where are they?" Darius asked, not having spotted anyone new after a quick glance left and right.
"They're coming, I think…" Akali turned and looked behind at the way she'd come, and as if on cue, the doors that led to out to the Court opened. Four figures emerged from them, two familiar, and two not.
Talon immediately dropped from his niche to stand on the ground wanting to see the newcomers up close and personal.
Aside Irelia and the thunder-wielding yordle, they were followed by two young men, neither dressed similarly to the other. The first man had pitch black hair that matched his obsidian eyes, and wore a mix of white, grey and purple. Sheathed behind his waist was a thin, black straight blade of some sort. His sharp, serious eyes glanced over each of them at least once. It was clear he was wary of his new surroundings, if not outright suspicious. But if he was from a different world, as Sasori was, then it was somewhat understandable.
The second man had sun-kissed hair that was accented by the orange decorated clothes he wore. His wide, azure eyes bounced in his skull, flitting from person A to person B, only to glance back at person A, as if unsure he'd seen them the first time. The one thing they both shared was that they both possessed a small, engraved metal plate; the black haired one had it tied around his purple belt, while the other had his worn around his forehead. The symbol thereon was a strange triangular spiral. None of them could make out what it might really be.
As they approached, Irelia made sure to point out each of the Champions by name, so they'd have an idea of who was who.
As soon as they got within spitting distance, Darius strode forward and extended a hand. "General Darius. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Sasuke tentatively accepted the hand, giving it a firm shake. "Sasuke Uchiha. The pleasure is mine."
Darius nodded and turned to Naruto, extending his hand similarly.
Naruto accepted it with a smile. "Uzuma-… I mean, Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet ya."
"And this," Darius began again, gesturing to the man beside him. "…is my little brother, Draven."
The man in question merely looked offended. "Not Draven; Draaaaven." He drew out the name, sliding a hand through the air dramatically.
A smirk came to Sasuke's face as he spotted the almost invisible roll of the eyes by Darius, and the sigh that followed. Naruto, on the other hand, gave a deadpan look to the obvious narcissist. "…Right… Sure thing."
Not a second after that, both teens were assaulted by the form of the bubbly young blonde woman in the crowed. "Wow, this is so exciting! I'm Luxanna Crowngaurd, but everyone just calls me Lux." She extended her hand happily, her smile almost literally radiating light.
To her surprise, both Sasuke and Naruto, instead of accepting her offered hand, bowed at the waist in greeting. She blushed in shock; she'd never had anyone bow to her before! 'O-Oh gosh! That's, like, totally embarrassing!'
Naruto smiled as he rose back up. "Lux huh? Quite illuminating, haha!"
You didn't need to be a genius observer to notice the twitch in Sasuke's eye, but before he could reprimand his friend, he was interrupted by Draven's laughing. "Hahahaha! Illuminating! I get it! Hahaha!"
What followed was an awkward silence, during which Darius just stared at his younger brother.
"…Really?"
"What? I thought it was funny," the axe thrower shrugged in response.
Luckily Lux was still hung-over on the bowing. "Y-you guys don't really have to bow to me... It's not like I'm royalty or anything."
Naruto simply raised an eyebrow. "…Crownguard… could've fooled me."
"Regardless, it's customary in our culture to bow in greeting to our seniors," Sasuke said, giving a more reasonable explanation.
"And women," Naruto added; Sasuke conceded a nod.
Lux nervously rubbed the back of her head and shifted her hips awkwardly. "No, I mean, I'm only a protector for royalty. My family's done it for generations, that's why we were given the name Crowngaurd. My brother is a Champion too! I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you!" Lux gave a radiant, and rather relieved smile, thankful to deflect their attention. "But he's not here right now…"
She trailed off, prompting another of the women to step forward. "My name's Ashe, queen of Freljord."
Naruto flinched comically, taking a surprised step back. "Q-Queen?"
Sasuke immediately bowed again, giving his partner a look before grabbing his neck and pulling him down with him. "It's an honor to meet you your highness."
To their surprise, Ashe laughed and waved off their reverence. "Oh please, don't do that! I get enough of that at home. You're bound to meet a lot of famous people here at the League. To be honest, since you're now part of the League, that pretty much means we're equals."
"Ehh… Sasuke maybe, since he's the last of the Uchiha, and subsequently is the head of the clan, but I'd hardly consider myself equal to royalty," Naruto laughed nervously as rubbed the back of his neck, both in nervousness and in an attempt to rub away the ache from Sasuke's grip.
Ashe smiled warmly at him. "Regardless, it's Ashe from now on, ok?"
Naruto considered it for several seconds before hmm-ing. "I dunno. That seems a bit too formal… How about, Ashe-san?"
The frost archer blinked not understanding what "san" meant. Thankfully, seeing her confusion, Irelia interpreted for her. "It's an honorific in their language. What did you say it was? 'Miss' or 'Mrs.' right?"
Sasuke nodded. "Correct. And I wouldn't argue with him on this. Despite his looks, he's actually quite polite."
"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?" Naruto growled at his "friend."
The Uchiha smirked and turned away. "Well, most of the time anyway."
Naruto didn't have time to respond before the next woman stepped forward to introduce herself "I'm Riven, it's nice to finally some guys my own age." She quickly extended her hand, not giving them time to bow to her.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but smirked and accepted the handshake. "A pleasure."
She turned and repeated the gesture with Naruto, but to her surprise, he gave a smile and bent down to kiss the back of her hand. "The pleasure's all mine, I promise."
She immediately blushed and withdrew her hand, holding it behind her back and bashfully retreating several steps. "T-t-that's way too formal…!"
Naruto blinked at her in surprise. "Really?"
Sasuke simply frowned and shook his head, a slight sweat-drop forming on his head. "Naruto… even though you're in a relationship, you still flirt with other women…"
Naruto turned quizzically to his partner. "Flirt? I'm not flirting, I'm being nice! Besides, you heard her, right? She hasn't met any guys our age, so we've gotta make a good impression!"
"…I think she just meant there aren't many guys our age here at the League, not that she's never met a young man before in her life. Geez, you're so dense sometimes."
A tick-mark veined on the blonde's head as he turned away with a huff. "Hmph, better to overdo it than underdo it anyways."
Sasuke immediately let out a small chuckle. "Heheh, well, that is you're philosophy after all. Though, this is the first time I've seen you use it socially."
Naruto crossed his arms and scowled. "Well, I'm not exactly a social person…"
"True," Sasuke conceded. "The only time I've seen you social is when you're talking to Hinata-san. You should really ask her to teach you about talking to other people; how you didn't offend her within the first five seconds, I will never know."
Naruto growled lowly. "Fuck off, prick."
Sasuke smiled humorously at his companion, shrugging off his insults as he always did.
Akali hesitantly cleared her throat and gestured to the remaining Champions yet to be identified. "Erm… I don't mean to interrupt… but, perhaps we should continue with the introductions?"
Neither of the two boys had time to respond before the tiny, but clear voice of the yordle scout spoke up from below them. "And I'm Teemo! And I'm a yordle in case you were wondering."
Naruto grinned at him and squatted down to his level, offering a hand, which he realize was massive compared to the explorer's. "Nice to meet you too chibi-san!"
Teemo happily accepted his hand and shook it, passing off the apparent nickname as a cultural nuance.
"And Mr. Silent over here is Talon," Lux offered, gesturing to the hooded man in grey beside her.
Said man gave her an annoyed look. "I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself, thank you." She quickly backed away as he turned to the two shinobi. "Talon, as she said." He offered no hand, nor bow, nor any sort of gesture to show he was even greeting them for the first time, though it wasn't much of a surprise; Sasuke expected that from his looks alone.
"Short and sweet. No-nonsense kind of guy, huh?"
Talon gave a partial shrug. "You could say that."
"Well, 'nough said then," the Uchiha finished, knowing anymore would only make the man uncomfortable, or worse, irritate him.
And at last they came to the silent, yet not, maiden who stood just behind the crowd. In contrast to the other women they'd met so far, aside for perhaps Irelia, this woman's hair was a bright cyan blue, tipped with golden, sun-kissed tips. She wore a similarly colored gown that went all the way down to her feet. Naruto beamed brightly at her. "Wow, who let the lady go last? Someone as pretty as you should have introduced herself first, haha!"
The woman smiled warmly at him, but didn't say anything. Instead, to the surprise of both newcomers, she instead raised her hands into the air as the stringed instrument at her side suddenly floated into motion, resting just below her fingertips where they were immediately plucked. They boys' surprised faces were almost immediately replaced by confusion as the musical sounds that came from the instrument hit them to their very core. It felt… exciting, warm, welcoming. Neither could explain it.
"This is Sona," Ashe said as she placed a hand lightly on the woman's shoulder. "She's mute, but she speaks just as clearly through music."
Naruto's hand immediately went to his chest, and his expression was one of bewilderment. "I… I think I know what you mean… Wow…"
Ashe smirked and continued. "Yeah, she'll do that to you. Her music speaks clearer than any words, and it's her primary form of communication, as well as magic."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Music magic? What exactly does that entail?"
Ashe raised her mouth to answer but quickly shut it. "Actually, I think I'll let you figure that out. Sorry, but it's for your own good." Though she finished with a smile, Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion that the inevitable learning experience would be extremely painful.
But as his black eyes observed the beings around him, he couldn't help but notice something, or rather someone was missing. "Wasn't there one more of you?"
The women immediately blinked and looked around, noticing he was right. "Hey, he's right. Where's Ahri?" Riven asked, not exactly expecting an answer.
"Oh if only I knew…" Draven muttered under his breath, though purposefully loud enough to be heard.
"Did anyone see where she went?" Lux inquired, looking this way and that for her query. A questioning tune played from Sona's etwahl, showing she was just as confused as they were.
They were interrupted by the sound of sniffling. Turning in the sound's direction they saw Naruto sniffing the air curiously, stepping forward a few steps before a confused, almost concerned look crossed his face. He gave a quick glance this way and that before speaking again. "Hey, this might seem like a random question, but do you guys have a lot of wildlife around here?"
They looked amongst each other before shaking their heads. "Not really no, unless you count the birds and whatnot. Why?"
Naruto quickly shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing important. It's just I caught a strong scent of a fox and was curious."
"He has a habit of finding foxes and keeping them as pets," Sasuke explained. "He has a natural affinity for them, so he's super protective of them."
Ashe and Riven exchanged concerned glances, but before they could carefully word an explanation, Lux beat them to the punch. "Well Ahri originally was a fox before she was turned into a human. Could that be it?"
Both boys' eyes widened in surprise. "A fox turned into human?" Sasuke questioned, not sure if he'd heard right the first time.
"Uhuh! I don't know the details, but apparently she found a dying mage and was turned into a human, though she still has her ears and tails." The light mage paused for a second before blinking in realization. Before anyone could move, she was mere inches from Naruto's shocked face. "Wooow! You have them too!" She reached out to touch his face when Sasuke, quickly noticing what she was going for, reached out and grabbed her arm, his grip firm.
Now it was Lux's turn to be surprised, as she nearly jumped at the swift movement, and at the force behind his grip.
"Don't. Touch. The whiskers."
That was all the Uchiha offered as he hesitantly released the blonde girl's hand. However, instead of silently questioning why, she opted do so aloud. "W-why? What happens if I-"
"-Bad things happen. The last time someone touched his whiskers, they ended up in the hospital. For a month." Sasuke's eyes were narrowed and serious.
"I-I see… well I hope it wasn't anyone important! Haha…"
"It was the leader of our village."
Lux nervously scratched the back of her head as a small drop of sweat fell from her forehead. "O-oh… w-well I guess they'd get the best doctors to heal them."
"She was the best doctor."
"Oooookkk," Ashe said, stepping in and keeping Lux from opening her big mouth again. Sona let out a light-hearted chord as the three men laughed, though Talon's "laugh" was really only a humorous smirk. Still counted though.
"Wait a minute wait a minute," Naruto quickly interjected. "What was that you said?"
His face was so serious that Lux felt herself squirm slightly under his gaze. "W-what do you mean?"
"You said she still has her ears and tail."
"No, I said tails," she corrected. "Nine of them to be exact."
The temperature immediately dropped by several degrees.
Celsius.
Naruto's eyes were wide with shock. Sasuke's were too for that matter. "A nine tailed fox…"
"…Turned human…"
"…here…" Naruto's eyes suddenly widened even more, though this time in apprehensive fear. "Ohhh shiiiitt…!"
He hadn't even finished his sentence before the various Champions around them backed up as a boiling, crimson energy began to roil around Naruto. The blonde looked down at himself, an action that appeared to take a lot of energy, and quickly cried out. "SASUKE!"
The Uchiha was in front of him in an instant, Sharingan eyes boring into his own. "Calm down Naruto…!"
Naruto's clenched jaw and bared, fanged teeth showed how much he was trying to do so, though it was a failing cause, if the blood dripping out the corners of his mouth said anything. Sasuke too was physically struggling. His left fist was wrapped in Naruto's shirt, pulling him close and holding him there. "Calm down!"
"G….Grrrr… rr…!" Naruto's face was twitching and his body was tensed, as if it was all he could do to stay perfectly still. "S-Sasu…ke…!"
The Uchiha slammed his forehead against his friend's their eyes mere inches from each other. "I said calm down… Kyuubi!"
For an instant, it looked like Sasuke might be thrown back by some invisible force, or perhaps by Naruto as his arms lashed out from where he was keeping them still. But at the last instant, the liquid like crimson energy vanished like a cloud, and both boys separated, both breathing deeply for air, though Sasuke less so.
"Huff…huff…huff…huff…th-thanks…Sasuke…You're a…a lifesaver…huff…huff…" Naruto's muscles suddenly gave way and he fell flat on his back, exhausted.
"Yeah… No shit…" The Uchiha replied between breaths. "I thought for sure… he'd break free…"
Despite his apparent exhaustion, Naruto managed to grin brightly. "Huff… I know right? Huff… "
"I've never felt him… resist so much before…" Sasuke shook his head. "Damn that was tough…" Sasuke slowly sat himself on the ground, arms resting on his knees. "You're gonna have to talk with him… later…"
"Yeah… huff… sure thing… huff… huff… Jus' give… gimme a minute… a couple minutes… wheew…"
"So… uh, like, what… just happened?" Lux asked, cowering slightly behind Riven, mirroring Draven's position behind his big brother.
Sona looked immensely concerned for both youths and quickly made her way beside the both of them, strumming her instrument gently in a calming tune. The music was lulling, and Naruto almost immediately felt like just closing his eyes and sleeping.
Sasuke ignored the light mage and looked directly at Irelia. He said nothing, but that was enough for her to get the message. He had warned her that something like this might happen after all.
Feeling a bit woozy himself from what he presumed was Sona's magic tunes, he turned to her and nodded with his head. "Thanks for that… Got anything that can cure a headache?"
The woman blinked in surprise, but quickly noted the humor in his voice and smiled, relived. With a few altered plucks, Sasuke immediately felt the pain in his head begin to disappear. "Oh… You do."
She smiled again and continued to strum. Sasuke sighed quietly. 'That's the hardest I've ever felt Kyuubi fight before… But why now?' He tried to recall the image of Ahri woman from when Akali and Irelia had pointed her out before they began formal introductions, at which point they were distracted by Darius, but he just came up blank. 'He must want something with her… but what?'
"Wuddia say we continue the tour… later?" Naruto offered with a pained smile. "I'm… kinda in… you know… excruciating pain right now…"
As if in response to his words, Sona shifted her tune to accommodate him. His response was rather comical.
"Ngh…Ahhh… sooooo much better than asprin…"
Darius however looked skeptical. "Is this going to be alright? It doesn't look like he can control himself."
Though he wasn't talking to anyone in particular, Naruto smiled up at him regardless. "It's ok! As long as Sasuke's with me, I'm fine! Besides, I don't usually have that bad an outburst… Actually, I've never had one that bad before." His expression turned to one of thoughtfulness as he hmm-ed aloud.
"Ma, Sasuke, you think Danzou will be pissed if I tell people about… him?"
Sasuke sat silent for several seconds before shrugging. "I couldn't say for sure. In this situation, I'd say it's really up to you."
Naruto blinked and smiled. "That makes things easier then! Even so, I don't want everyone to know about my strengths… Hmm, but it'll be a problem if someone gets hurt from not knowing… What should I do…?"
Sasuke sighed with a smirk. "Heh, you just said it. As long as I'm with you, there's no danger."
"Could have fooled me," Darius said with a raised eyebrow.
Sasuke gave him a cold glance. "Then fools will be fooled," he said callously. "Don't take the name of Uchiha lightly."
Eyes narrowing, Darius made to retort, but quickly closed his mouth and simply excused himself.
The sudden change in atmosphere left everyone else not sure how to break the awkward silence.
"So… any chance of finding out where she went?" Sasuke asked, knowing that if he didn't Naruto would later.
Ashe nodded moved to enter the hedge maze beyond. "She couldn't have gone far, and I'm a pretty good hunter. I'll bring her back as soon as I can."
Sasuke nodded before stopping her. "Actually, under these circumstances, don't. If only the scent of her was enough to trigger an episode, then it's safe to assume it could get much worse with physical proximity."
"So… what do you propose we do?" Riven asked, looking between the white and black haired Champions.
Sasuke was silent for a while, considering the different options. At last he spoke, rising to his feet. "In any case, Naruto needs time to figure out what happened. Until he does that, we shouldn't risk another incident. Keep her away from him as much as possible, and question her if possible."
Ashe cocked her head to the side, her snow-white hair flowing. "You think she had something to do with this? Knowingly I mean?"
"I wouldn't know, but she's absent from the scene, as if she knew this was going to happen. Why wouldn't she stay and greet us with the rest of you?"
"That's right," Akali realized suddenly. "She's really social, so there's no way she'd miss out on meeting new people. Especially boys."
Talon nodded his head, his expression telling all. "That's definitely not like her." He'd been on the receiving end of her deceptively innocent "greetings" before.
"Then I'm off." And with that Ashe was swallowed by the maze.
"In the meantime, it'd probably be a good idea to have some mages take a look at Mr. Naruto here. They'd probably be able to help-"
"-No." Sasuke's cold voice quickly cut the yordle scout from saying any more.
Lux immediately tried to defend Teemo's suggestion. "What? Why? They'd be able to make sure this would never happen again!"
"…You misunderstand," Sasuke quickly interjected. "It's not that we don't want a repeat performance. Quite the opposite; we'd be glad if he didn't have this problem. However, it's not something that we want to share with the rest of the world, nor entirely get rid of it either."
"What do you mean? What exactly is it?" Riven asked, eyeing the blonde resting his head on Sona's knees, seemingly entranced by the soothing sounds of her music.
"It's not my place to tell you." He looked at the ashen haired girl seriously. "If you really wish to know, ask him."
The sound of Naruto's groaning quickly ended their conversation.
"Well, how is it, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto grinned as he lifted himself from the lap of the beautiful maven. "Well, I found out why he went nuts!" he exclaimed with such a bright and energetic smile that it almost seemed as if he were excited about it.
"Oh and thanks by the way…" he said looking up at Sona. "Your music really helped that hangover!"
Sona smiled and nodded an acknowledgment.
"So? What did he say?" Sasuke asked, much to the confusion of everyone watching.
Naruto's smile darkened a little. "Well, I… um… Can't… tell you?" He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, it's his secret."
Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "Since when does Kyuubi share secrets?"
"Well, never! That's why I can't say anything! If I betray his trust the very first time I'm trusted, how could he ever hope to trust me?"
Sasuke sighed. "…This is so complicated."
"Should I ask?" Irelia questioned quietly to her comrade.
"Probably not," was Akali's response.
The captain of the guard sighed, her palm finding her face lightly. 'What exactly did I get us into…?'
A/N: And that's that! Chapter two everybody! I hope you all liked it! I'll try to get the next one out faster, but I can't promise anything. Yes I know I skipped Naruto's Judgement, and it WAS intentional. There will be epic flashbacks later for your enjoyment ^_^ In the mean time though, leave a tasty review on the way out! :D